Last Updated on August 3, 2021
Below you’ll find 10 horror flicks/villains we think might work if given a proper origin story. And to take it a step further, we’re going to hint, suggest, pitch, mention a possible storyline for said prequel to follow. Nothing definitive here folks, just good old dumb summer fun. Feel free to read each and add your own idea in the new talkbacks below. Ready? Cop a look at our Top 10 Potential Ideas for Horror Prequels underneath!
#1. FREDDY KRUEGER
TITLE: FREDDY KRUEGER
PLOT: While referenced, hinted at and touched upon in previous iterations, it’s high motherf*cking time Freddy Krueger got his own official origin story. What do we know? We know Freddy was the bastard child of a gang-raped nun. We know the man was burned alive by a gaggle of pissed-off parents after being discovered as a child-murderer (changed from child molester in original script). What if the prequel took us back to his time as an adopted youth, abused by his alcoholic caretaker Mr. Underwood. No humor, no silly one-liners, just a dark, gritty, deeply disturbing look at the birth of a serial-killing-dream-demon.
#2. JASON VOORHEES
TITLE: VOORHEES
PLOT: We’ve heard the back-story ad infinitum, now it’s time to see it! Indeed, an interesting angle to take in regards to a FRIDAY THE 13TH prequel is to go back to that horrific day that young Jason drown in Crystal Lake on the watch of drunk, negligent teenage camp counselors. Let’s get to know the boy, see him die, conjure some sympathy for not just him, but for mama Voorhees as well. Cast a young blonde with an equally psychotic grin as Betsy Palmer, and have her gorily waylay the entire staff of original counselors who did her boy fatally wrong. The twist? Jason never did die, but watched and learned from the shadows how to be a first-rate murderer like his mother.
#3. THE WOLF MAN
TITLE: BOY WOLF
PLOT: As the title suggests, a cool idea for a WOLF MAN prequel might be to see the creature in its nascent stage, as a young boy. Perhaps it could be something akin to GINGER SNAPS, in that the metaphor for raging hormones and pubescent transformation could be visually reinforced through the werewolf aesthetic. Dunno, I just like the idea of seeing a lone-wolf-boy go on an uncontrollable killing spree. Perhaps it isn’t even Larry Talbot, but a relative, thereby organically connecting the prequel to what would be its 1941 successor. Harry Talbot, Larry’s estranged cousin, could be ravaging the other side of Britain as the boy-wolf!
#4. CHUCKY/CHARLES LEE RAY
TITLE: THE BIRTH OF CHUCKY/CHARLES LEE RAY
PLOT: This one could go one of two ways. A CHILD’S PLAY prequel could either follow the seedy criminal exploits of CHARLES LEE RAY, the infamous serial killer who transferred his sinister soul and spirit inside of Chucky, the Good Guy Doll. I’d love to see a young Brad Dourif lookalike go on a reign of abject carnage on the streets of Southside Chicago. Could be a commentary on the current violent crime-rate in the city if nothing else. Or, we could go inside the Good Guy Doll corporation, somehow linking the evil nature of Chucky with the soulless consumerism and corporate greed therein. Perhaps a glitch in a doll’s prototype leads to a killing spree of children, laying the groundwork for Chucky’s eventual reign!
#5. THE LOST BOYS
TITLE: SANTA CARLA
PLOT: Not sure about you, but damn I would love to see David and his gang of denim-clad, mullet-rocking biker-vampires balefully butchering the town of Santa Carla (What up Santa Cruz) before Michael, Sam and Lucy moved to town. Come on, we know they had a life of bloodsucking prior to their leader Max pining for a new mate in Lucy. Hell, even Grandpa alludes to this in the final line in the film. “The one thing I always hated about Santa Carla…all the damn vampires!” Let’s see a younger Gramps square aring off with a younger Max, all the while David and his crew rip, tear and shred unsuspecting boardwalk tourists.
#6. CANDYMAN
TITLE: CANDYMAN COUNTRY
PLOT: CANDYMAN is a venerated enough villain to warrant his own prequel, is he not? After-all, the entire notion of saying a name three times into the mirror with the lights out seems to be one of those universal childhood urban legends we all heard about and attempted as a youngster. So why not see the Candyman himself as either a young child or teenager as he builds up his reputation as a larger than life mythological horror figure? Might work. Let’s see him on that Civil War plantation as a slave, and an artist whose painting hand is cut-off and replaced with a hook, his face smeared in honey and ravaged by swarms of bees. The back-story is there, we just need to see it in full!
#7. THE FOG
TITLE: THE FORECAST
PLOT: According to the plot of John Carpenter’s THE FOG, the ghosts of murdered lepers from an 1880 sea-vessel were the ones responsible for the dense scrim of mist that descended upon the coastal town of Antonio Bay. Well, I say we hark back to 1880 and witness those sick f*ckers firsthand! Call it THE FORECAST, and set it a whole century before the action depicted in THE FOG. The story of how the citizens of Antonio Bay wasted a community of lepers is indeed a chilling one, one we can totally picture being bleak and memorable. Of course, it would have to be back-dropped by more f*cking fog!
#8. PET SEMATARY
TITLE: NO PETS ALLOWED
PLOT: No horror list of any kind feels complete without the presence of the King – Stephen King – and while there are many options among his bibliography, there’s something about PET SEMATARY that seems more primed for a prequel than any other. I want to see more about the ancient Native American burial ground the cemetery was built on, how it was discovered to be a place of sacred resurrection, the terrifying trials and tribulations and how the use of animals plays a major part in it all. Perhaps it starts with an ancient tribe burying the dead horse, only to see it putridly rise from the soil and wreak homicidal havoc!
#9. FRIGHT NIGHT
TITLE: THE FRIGHT NIGHT BEFORE
PLOT: Forget Charlie Brewster, a potential FRIGHT NIGHT prequel could and should focus on the early life of Peter Vincent, the actor turned cornball cult-TV host who proves to be quite the vampire slayer in Tom Holland’s 1985 classic. We could see how he became a trusted authority on hunting vampires in a way that extends beyond the mere make believe of the movie business. Hell, I’d even like to see a younger Jerry Dandridge skulk through the night and stalk a whole new family altogether. Perhaps Peter and Jerry square off in a germane way that connects the ’85 version and gives it added heft.
#10. JIGSAW
TITLE: JOHN KRAMER
PLOT: This one just seems inevitable, does it not? Seriously, how long before JIGSAW gets his own standalone horror prequel? I’ve got the over-under at 2019. It certainly makes sense given Tobin Bell’s age, that yes, Jigsaw must have a long, sordid past that lead him to act the way he does. We’ve been given scant hints and ancillary clues in the past, but a younger version of Jigsaw in a story of how he came to be seems perfectly logical. Never mind the brain tumor that lead to his failed suicide, which in turn lead him to becoming a sadistic puppeteer. Nah, there must be a kernel of evil in the man even prior to that. Let’s see him at his healthiest physically, most depraved mentally!
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